About this collection
Basquiat Private Moments
By Andreas Sterzing
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s (1960-1988) meteoric rise from anonymous graffiti-writer to art-world superstar is now the stuff of legend, and was even during his lifetime. In the 70s and 80s, Basquiat was the face of “New Art, New Money,” and wealth, women, and drugs seemed to follow him like a posse wherever he went. Everyone wanted to know him. Everyone still does. But at the heart of this whirlwind spectacle of paint and power was a young man, a real person, whose inner thoughts were oftentimes just as enigmatic as the artwork he created- even to those who knew him best.
Taken during the height of his fame in 1985 at his studio at Great Jones Street, New York, this series of portraits by acclaimed German photographer Andreas Sterzing are striking in their vulnerability and honesty. No Armani suits, no posturing. In their stark portrayal of a “creative genius,” they instead reveal the man, or rather, “the twenty-something-year-old,” behind it all. Quiet, pensive, and painting. At peace in his studio. Lost in a private moment.
Although Basquiat would tragically die of a drug overdose at 27, just two and a half years later, these photographs by Andreas Sterzing serve as proof that the public spectacle that became his life was not the whole picture. Behind the portrait of a genius was a boy in a blue shirt and a paintbrush, full of ideas-- and life.
This extremely rare collection of 7 NFTs have been fully digitized at 77 editions each, and are made available with much thanks to the photographer. There will be no reruns.
** If purchasing an OrangeHare NFT by 9 PM EDT on September 11, will being eligible for the pre-sale.
Basquiat Private Moments
By Andreas Sterzing
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s (1960-1988) meteoric rise from anonymous graffiti-writer to art-world superstar is now the stuff of legend, and was even during his lifetime. In the 70s and 80s, Basquiat was the face of “New Art, New Money,” and wealth, women, and drugs seemed to follow him like a posse wherever he went. Everyone wanted to know him. Everyone still does. But at the heart of this whirlwind spectacle of paint and power was a young man, a real person, whose inner thoughts were oftentimes just as enigmatic as the artwork he created- even to those who knew him best.
Taken during the height of his fame in 1985 at his studio at Great Jones Street, New York, this series of portraits by acclaimed German photographer Andreas Sterzing are striking in their vulnerability and honesty. No Armani suits, no posturing. In their stark portrayal of a “creative genius,” they instead reveal the man, or rather, “the twenty-something-year-old,” behind it all. Quiet, pensive, and painting. At peace in his studio. Lost in a private moment.
Although Basquiat would tragically die of a drug overdose at 27, just two and a half years later, these photographs by Andreas Sterzing serve as proof that the public spectacle that became his life was not the whole picture. Behind the portrait of a genius was a boy in a blue shirt and a paintbrush, full of ideas-- and life.
This extremely rare collection of 7 NFTs have been fully digitized at 77 editions each, and are made available with much thanks to the photographer. There will be no reruns.
** If purchasing an OrangeHare NFT by 9 PM EDT on September 11, will being eligible for the pre-sale.
Andreas Sterzing is an acclaimed German photographer who has worked on international magazine assignments and long-term personal projects. In the 1980s Andreas launched his career in New York with photos of Pier 34 and the artists taking part in the project, and with stories about the East Village art scene, in which he was an active participant. Since then his commissioned magazine work has been seen regularly in prestigious publications including Stern, Der Spiegel, Geo, Zeit Magazin, Marie-Claire, DU, King Kong and the New York Times Magazine.
Exhibitions in museums and galleries followed at the Whitney Museum of American Art, SeMA (Seoul Museum of Art), KW-Berlin (Kunst-Werke Berlin) Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, Jeu de Paume in Paris and others. Andreas’s images are in private collections and have featured in books and numerous documentaries about the 1980s New York art scene. In 2020 his iconic portrait “David Wojnarowicz (Silence = Death)” (1989) was named as one of “The 25 Most Influential Works of American Protest Art Since World War II” by the New York Times Magazine.
“When I first met Basquiat, I did not know him personally. We had arranged to meet at his studio on Great Jones Street. Although he was already an art superstar at the time, he was nothing but friendly and welcoming, and behaved quite normally. We worked together really well, and I was able to capture a series of portraits showing him working in a natural and relaxed atmosphere.”
-Andreas Sterzing
These images of Jean-Michel Basquiat in New York were commissioned by a German art magazine in 1986.